everybody's talkin'

“ Mark Dvorak hums with the resonant frequency of the very universe. One need but listen…”

Andrew Cohen, Memphis TN

“Mark, you are a writer, listener, and musical sculptor. Thanks for sharing part of your secret songbook.”

David Hawkins, Lake Forest IL

“We harmonized ‘Every Step of the Way’ in Barb Silverman’s Old Town School class yesterday. I was touched and encouraged by your words and thoughts expressed in your lyrics…”

Grace McCullough, Chicago IL

"I enjoyed Mark's story, 'Bowling for Christmas,' when I sat in the quiet at home and read it. He is special."

Roberta Gordon, Sparta IL

"Your music is still in heavy rotation on my CD player..."

Dave Oberg, Executive Director, Grayslake IL Heritage Museum

"It was really great to see you at Edgar's Place...was especially glad to hear the tune you wrote based on the titles of Woody's songs. It was quite lovely and very timely as well..."

DeAnn Wilson, Park Forest IL

"Today I read through your book, 'Bowling for Christmas'... It was a wonderful privilege to see through your eyes and your perceptions, feel your feelings and share your experiences. Thank you for a wonderful accomplishment!

buzz in here

The Chicago Television Project: Stud's Place

CHICAGO IL - Pocket Guide to Hell presents Studs’ Place, a live performance of a new episode of the classic Studs Terkel television show, at the Hideout (1354 W Wabansia) on Sunday, November 11, 2012, at 7 PM. There is a $7-10 suggested donation.

In the early 1950s, broadcaster and oral historian Studs Terkel starred in Studs’ Place, one of the first television shows produced in Chicago. Working from a one-page scenario and with a cast consisting of Chet Roble, Beverly Younger, and future co-founder of the Old Town of School of Folk Music Win Stracke, Terkel largely improvised the episodes, which were all set at the eponymous diner and dealt with everyday life in the city. The episodes highlighted the musical talents of Roble and Stracke and served as an inspiration for later Chicago improvisation groups like the Compass Players and Second City.

In honor of the yearlong Studs Terkel centennial, Pocket Guide to Hell is producing a new episode of Studs’ Place, set in 2012 but making use of character types and scenarios from the original series. The episode will be performed in the front bar of the Hideout but projected before an audience seated in the back, simulating the effect of watching a live television broadcast.

The performance will be followed by short talks on the Chicago School of Televsion by the Museum of Broadcast Communication’s Walter Podrazik; on Media Burn’s efforts to restore original episodes of Studs’ Place by Sara Chapman and Tom Weinberg; and on Win Stracke and the founding of the Old Town School of Folk Music by musician Mark Dvorak.

Studs’ Place is the first installment of the Chicago Television Project and will be followed in April by Bozo’s Circus. Pocket Guide to Hell is a series of interactive walks, talks, and reenactments dealing with Chicago’s past. Recent events include the Studs Terkel 100th Birthday Party at the Newberry, Behind the Scenes with the Mediums at the Chicago Cultural Center, and The Compass Players Revisited at Jimmy’s Woodlawn Tap. For more information, see pocketguidetohell.com